Wednesday, March 8, 2017

"Five stars have never made me feel like this. Where are my Kleenex?" Allaina Daniels

A gripping story of love found, lost, and rediscovered in a magical way.

Jewel has met the man of her dreams … the one person with whom she’s meant to spend eternity. Harley is charming, charismatic, and although he can’t carry a tune in a bucket, he’s the most gorgeous man she has ever laid eyes upon—especially in his U.S. Air Force uniform.

Just days after the couple returns from their honeymoon, Harley is called to active duty in the Middle East. Jewel is heartbroken but determined to adapt to her new life as a military spouse and support her husband. Her plan is short-lived when Harley is killed in action just days after his deployment.
Unable to cope, Jewel withdraws from her family, friends, and the world around her, until Harley visits her with a message from the beyond.

Will Jewel surrender to the dark side to be with her true love, or will she discover that sometimes people are put in our paths for reasons beyond our understanding?

Hey, guys! I hope you all are enjoying this tour, and learning more about me. I'm very down to earth and easy to get along with, but I'm also quite dedicated to my craft and hold myself to (often impossibly) high standards. My ultimate goal in writing is to tell a story that stays with readers long after the book has been closed. And if I make them cry, that’s a bonus. I’m twisted like that.

I'm an author of romance, children's, and nonfiction titles. I'm also an avid reader and huge supporter of other authors through a site I founded called Readers Review Room. Be sure to check it out whether you're an author looking for promotion, or a reader looking for a great book.

Now, let's learn a little more about Unsevered.

This novella actually won two awards in its first year of publishing:
Favorite Second-chance romance
Best Romance

I'm often asked how I came up with the title for this book, as it's not even truly a "real" word. I wanted a unique title, one just as special as Harley and Jewel's relationship. I thought about the theme of this story - basically, two hearts being connected, even in death. They're separated physically, but never in spirit. That made me think about words like broken, shattered, separated, split, and finally I settled on severed, which of course, led me to unsevered.

I am the type of person who has to get that "ahh" feeling about something, or else I won't do it. It must sit right with my gut for me to know it’s right for me, and this one definitely did. I love that I was able to come up with such a unique title that had great sentimental meaning to my characters. I even wove it into the story a few times. You'll see!

Happy reading.

I would know his voice anywhere. “Harley? Oh, Harley.’’
“Yeah, baby. It’s me. I’m here,” he says, his words calm and soothing.
A tremble reverberates throughout my body. The tears seem to pause midstream on my face. My voice is barely audible.
“Where? I can’t see you. I must be dreaming.”
“No, you’re not dreaming. You’re grieving. And you’re about to make the biggest mistake of your life.”
If my hands were shaking before, they are almost convulsive now. Even my veins quiver at the sound of his voice. I wipe my eyes and run my fingers forcefully through my hair a few times. I slap my cheek to make sure I’m really awake. It hurts. Yes, definitely awake.
My inner thoughts escape through my mouth.
“This can’t be happening. You’re dead. I’m just hallucinating. It’s the pills. Just the pills.” I nod my head a few times with vigor to confirm it to myself. I look down at the bottle still in my hand; I haven’t taken them yet. I put the capsules back in the bottle and close the lid.
“I’ve been watching you since the moment I died. I know what you were about to do.”
My eyes shift toward the floor.
“But what’s the use in living if I can’t be with you? At least we could be together this way.”
“It doesn’t work like that, sweetheart. You can’t kill yourself to be with me. We won’t end up together.”
Tears flood my eyes. “But I miss you, Harley. I want to be with you. There’s nothing here for me anymore. I don’t want to live without you.”
The room is silent for a moment. I call out his name to ensure he’s still there. Moments later, he speaks again.
“I know. I miss you too. But I lived out my destiny. I died doing what I was meant to do. I served my purpose in the world, and then I was called home.”
“But your home is here with me. You belong here!” Anger and desperation seep through my words.
“The universe is done with me, but it isn’t done with you yet, baby. You haven’t fulfilled your destiny.”
“And what is my destiny?” My tone is sarcastic. I walk around the room, grasping air, trying to touch the voice I’m hearing.
“I can’t answer that for you; only you can discover it. But I know you’re going to do great things in your world.”
“I don’t want to live out my destiny without you. We were supposed to be together forever, remember? We’re,unsevered.”
My sobs return the minute that word escapes my lips. My mind slips into a memory of the day I first heard it. We’d just returned from our honeymoon and Harley said he wanted to go for a drive. He loved to surprise me, so I had no idea what awaited me.

❤️ Click on the images to learn more ❤️

(2nd place winner of "Best Military Romance" and "Best Second-Chance Romance" categories)

(Bronze winner of "Romance")

Traci Sanders is a multi-genre, multi-award-winning author of nine published titles, with contributions to three anthologies.

An avid blogger and supporter of Indie authors, she writes parenting, children's, romance, and nonfiction guides.

Her ultimate goal is to provide great stories and quality content for dedicated readers, whether through her own writing or editing works by other authors.